The client wanted us to create communication that made our brand of incense sticks, Cycle Agarbattis, synonymous with worship on a shoestring budget.

The idea was executed by building intricately detailed idols of gods from the Hindu pantheon. Borrowing from the predominant iconography of the gods, preliminary sketches were made. 2090 pounds of bicycle scrap was collected. The scrap was recycled into three sculptures, a 6 1/2 ft. Ganesha (the elephant god), a 10 ft. Durga (goddess of war) and a 12 ft. Natraj (dancing manifestation of Shiva). The literal expression of the brand promise 'With Cycle comes God' the statues created an engaging mnemonic, comprehensible across class and language.

Worshippers prayed to and photographed the idols, spontaneously sampling the product by lighting the incense sticks placed at the idols’ feet. They also carried self-perpetuating images of the ad, by clicking thousands of pictures by the idols’ side. The clutter-breaking value of the idea brought almost a million rupees worth of free media coverage, word-of-mouth publicity and online discussions for the brand, ensuring exposure across multiple touch-points with minimal spends.